Photo: YouTube
Her family is hoping recent developments will finally bring them peace.
By Alison Cerri — Written on Sep 22, 2020
Nearly half a century after Carla Walker was murdered, police have finally made an arrest in what was one of the most notorious cold cases in the country. The Fort Worth, TX Police Dept. arrested Glen Samuel McCurley on Tuesday, Sept. 22 in connection with the murder of Carla Walker, a young woman who was abducted, held captive, and murdered when she was just 17 years old in 1974.
Who is Carla Walker?
Below are details about the teen girl and her tragic murder.
When was Carla Walker abducted?
On Feb. 17, 1974, 17-year-old Carla was partaking in a completely banal teenage girl activity: sitting with her boyfriend in his car. She was in the passenger seat and her high school sweetheart, Rodney McCoy, was in the driver’s seat. Rodney was a Senior at Western Hills High School, while Carla was a junior. The car was parked in the Ridglea Bowl parking lot, a bowling alley in Fort Worth, which was a typical hang-out spot for young people.
The night turned from normal to violent as the assailant pulled Carla out of the car, though. He had a gun, and the man then beat Rodney. The young man was pistol whipped on the head and was left unconscious.
When he woke up, he went to Carla’s house to tell her parents. According to her family, the doorbell rang and rang, and there was intense banging on the door. Then McCoy screamed, “They’ve got her, they’ve got her!” as blood flowed from his head. McCoy also recounted her last words: “Go get help, I’ll go with you, don’t hurt him.” McCoy ended up going to the hospital later that night.
The Fort Worth Police press release about the letter, and an edited image of the letter.
Where was Carla Walker's body found?
Carla’s body was found near Benbrook Lake three days later. It had been dumped in a culvert. The three days were terrible for her family. Carla’s sister, Cynthia Stone, hoped she would be returned. "We just waited for her, we kept thinking honestly someone would drop by in the middle of the night and push her out of the car,” she said.
Instead she was found by the lake — police said she was raped and strangled. She was also tortured for two days. A medical examiner also found that she had been injected with morphine.
A handwritten letter reopened the case in 2019.
Carla Walker's murder case gained renewed interest after police released a letter they recieved from an unknown person in April of 2019. The handwritten letter was mailed to a Fort Worth detective in 1974, shortly after Carla Walker was kidnapped and killed. The detective, who was working on the case, died shortly after receiving the letter. He never shared it with the public or family. The beginning of the letter has been redacted, but the rest of it reads, “killd [sic] Carla Walker in Benbrook,” the phrase “Sign 10100” two times, and the post scripture, “It is hard to say but it is true.”
The Fort Worth Police wrote in their press release, “The author of this letter is encouraged to come forward and speak with detectives about his or her knowledge of the murder. It is the hope of the Fort Worth Police Department that this person will provide valuable information that may bring peace and closure to Carla’s family after 45 long years. The author of the letter, or anyone who knows the author of the letter, is asked to call 817-392-4307.”
Her family hoped the letter would bring answers.
With the posting of the letter, her family is hoping for answers to questions after over 40 years of heartbreaking unknowns.
“We never got a chance to form the brother and sister bond,” Jim Walker told the Star Telegram on Friday. “She was 17 and I was 12, the annoying little brother. But the things she did for me let me know that she loved me. Someone knows something,” he said with the reveal of the letter.
“The author of this letter clearly wants to get something off their chest. It’s time for somebody to do the right thing and step forward. I feel like the hand of God is in this,” Jim Walker said. “This will be solved. This needs to be solved for Carla. These folks are earnestly looking for justice for Carla and we’re not going away.”
There have been multiple petitions in support of reopening her case.
There are at least two petitions on change.org pleading on behalf of Carla for justice. One was created and closed seven years ago; it received 421 signatures. A more recent petition received 1,198 signatures before it closed. It was started a few years ago following an episode of Gone Cold podcast, which was about Carla’s murder.
“Because Carla’s story is such a compelling case,” Renee Morris Larson wrote in the description of the petition, “Gone Cold podcast made the purposeful decision to make it their debut presentation. GC Podcast is willing to share all their resources and information in an effort to encourage other media to get involved. Hopefully this query — a group effort by the many people who loved Carla and still miss her — will incentivize Dateline to explore this still unsolved mystery.”
Larson was a member of the Western Hills High School Class of 1975, the same as Carla.
On Sept. 22, 2020, the Fort Worth Police Dept. made an arrest in connection to Carla Walker's murder.
Glen Samurel McCurley was taken into police custody on Sept. 22, 2020. He is currently being held at Tarrant County Jail on a charge of murder. His bond is set at $100,000.
Alison Cerri is a writer who covers astrology, pop culture and relationship topics.